New Jersey Transit tells The Record that of 27 people struck and killed by its trains in 2013, 21 were confirmed or possible suicides. Between 2008 and last year, that number hovered between 12 and 16.

The recent upswing may reflect a national increase in the overall number of suicides. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the suicide rate for people between 35 and 64 has risen more than 28 percent from 1999 to 2010.

NJ Transit has focused on preventing accidental track deaths, and those numbers fell from 2009 to last year. Spokesman John Durso Jr. tells the newspaper the agency has posted a suicide hotline number at all of its 164 rail stations.